Rasmus Hojgaard is the only new entry onto the European Ryder Cup team for Bethpage Black.
Rasmus has replaced his twin brother Nicolai, with 11 of the 12 players from two years ago staying the same.
Rasmus will be hoping to do much better than his sibling, who only scored 0.5 points in three matches in Rome.
Rory McIlroy has now given him some advice so that he is ready to contribute to the European team at Bethpage.
Rory McIlroy wants Rasmus Hojgaard to feel ‘comfortable’ on the European Ryder Cup team
McIlroy was complimentary about Hojgaard’s talent, but that alone is not enough to succeed at the Ryder Cup.
Especially for rookies, it can be difficult not to get overwhelmed by the magnitude of the event and the electric atmosphere.
McIlroy wants Hojgaard to step into the European locker room at Bethpage with the confidence that he is not inferior to any of his teammates.
“Yeah, so I think the good thing about Rasmus is that he really was a part of our team last time in Rome,” McIlroy said before the BMW PGA Championship. “Obviously, his brother played, but Rasmus was a part of the backroom team, so he was around the team for the entire week.
“Obviously, it will be his first time playing, but he’s at least got experience in terms of what the week is like, what the cadence of the week is like. Obviously, in a way, the Ryder Cup is a little bit different, as well. But Rasmus has been around for quite a while now, even though he’s still very young.
“I think at this point, he’s very comfortable with all of us. I’ve obviously made it known to you guys and to them, as well. I think they are very talented brothers, and I think they have a lot of potential in the game.
“You know, but he doesn’t need me to tell him that. He knows his potential and how good he is. He qualified for the Ryder Cup team, which is a hard thing to do.
“In terms of making him feel comfortable, we all walk into that team room as equals and we walk out of that team room as equals. He needs to see himself on the same level as Jon Rahm, me, or anyone else.
“We are just 1 of 12. We are just 1 of 12, and when we walk in there, we will hopefully make the collective group stronger, and I think Rasmus probably got a sense of that from Rome last time.”
Rory McIlroy is pleased to see the next generation in the European Ryder Cup squad
McIlroy is happy with the development of some of Europe’s best up-and-coming players ahead of the Ryder Cup.
He praised both Rasmus Hojgaard and Robert MacIntyre for recently taking their respective games to new heights.
“Absolutely, but I think, as I said, we all knew these guys had a lot of potential. But they have gone out and they have earned it,” McIlroy added.
“Bob has turned himself into one of the best players in the world, a really gritty competitor. It was Nicolai last time in Rome and Rasmus this time in New York, and probably we weren’t even talking about Ludwig at that time because he was still in college.
“Yeah, it’s great to see. I think I said this week, but you could make an argument that the 12 guys that we have going to New York are more accomplished golfers than they were two years ago, when most of us were in Rome.
“It’s amazing that those guys have stepped up and filled those spots that have been vacated by some of the older guard who have moved on at this point.
“Yeah, I will be one of those older guards who’s going to be moving on here in the next decade or so, and I’m sure there’s going to be great European talent coming to take my spot as well.”
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